Desron 16 - Naval Cruise Book

Page 15 text:

CDR. Henry J. Cappello U. S. Navy U. S. S. Huntington (DD-781) Commanding Officer CDR. Lewis C. Bartlett U. S. Navy U. S. S. Zellars (DD-777) Commanding Officer nanding Off CDR. John S. Oiler Jr. U. S. Navy U. S. S. Sumner (DD-692) Commanding Officer CDR. Charles C. Roberts Jr U. S. Navy U. S. S. Ingraham (DD-694) Commanding Officer T

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U.S.S. HUNTINGTON (DD-781) flnLr rrsjw:! ■■ 1 In more than a decade of service to the coun- try, the U.S.S. ROBERT K. HUNTINGTON (DD-781) has seen action in both peace and war, and has covered a large part of the globe — from Japan to Turkey, and from the Arctic Circle to Australia. Among the high spots of the HUNT- INGTON ' S career have been her presence at the signing of the Japanese surrender at the close of World War II, and at the first atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. The ship was made possible through the war bond purchases of the citizens of Rock Island, 111., and was built at the Todd Pacific Shipbuild- ing Company in Seattle, Wash. Commissioned in March 1945, this destroyer is one of the more powerful heavy destroyers, developed as a result of wartime experience with the earlier types. With a displacement of 2200 tons, the HUNT- INGTON carries an armament of six 5 38 cali- ber dual purpose guns, and three 40 mm anti- aircraft machine gun mounts. Her steam powered engines produce 60,000 horse-power, providing the ship with a maximum speed of about 35 knots. The HUNTINGTON is named in honor of ROBERT K. HUNTINGTON, Airman Third class, who lost his life at the battle of Midway, in 1942, where he was a crew member of a tor- pedo plane attached to the carrier YORKTOWN. The wartime service of the HUNTINGTON was limited to the closing days of the second World War, when she operated with a fast car- rier task force off the Japanese Coast. When the battleship MISSOURI entered Tokyo Bay at the close of the war to receive the surrender of the Japanese Government, the HUNTINGTON was a member of the vital screening force which was guarding against a last-minute sneak at- tack by a desperate enemy. It was fitting that this ship, a part of the mod- ern post-war Navy, also played an important part in Operation CROSS-ROADS— the first atomic bomb test in Bikini Lagoon. As one of the destroyers in the Radiological Patrol, the HUNTINGTON witnessed the air burst from a considerable distance, and the more spectatular underwater blast from the comparatively close range of ten miles. Prior to entering the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a three month overhaul, the ship had the privilege of participating in a unique event. The situation was brought about during the HUNT- INGTON ' S visit to New York City where on the morning of 16 Februaiy 1957 the rai-e sight of a Fleet Admiral ' s five star being raised to tlie truck of a destroyer was seen aboard the HUNTINGTON. This action initiated the cere- monies honoring Admiral William Halsey, one of our great wartime leaders. Among those present were the noted Statesman, Harold Stas- sen, and the actor-producer Robert Montgomery, both men having served in the Navy during Worid War II.

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CDR. Roy E. Burton, Jr. U. S. Navy U. S. S. Charles S. Sperry (DD-697) . Conunanding Officer CDR. William Aaron Spalding Jr U. S. Navy U. S. S. Moale (DD-693) Commanding Officer - CDR. Charles J. Hemmingsen U. S. Navy U. S. S. Massey (DD-778) Conmianding Officei ™